4. Tony Dibbs (Friendly. Mediocre.)
5. Virgil Thomas (Knows rope work. Not sure that would appeal to Max.)
When I was done typing, I was seething on the inside. I didn’t want to do this. I didn’t want to hand Max over to any of these men, whether or not the attachment I was feeling was ludicrous. I just didn’t want to.
I started sending messages anyway.
Vic was flattered, but not interested. The ass.
My gut cramped. He’d been the only one I really wouldn’t have minded having Max, except that I wanted to keep him when I shouldn’t. He would have kept Max safe for certain. Vic ran Triple X and didn’t get enough credit for the way there was never any bullshit there.
By five o’clock the only two who were interested, from what I was direly thinking of as “the first list,” were Tony Dibbs and Shannon Dawson, and while I wasn’t truly excited by the prospect of either of them, this wasn’t about me. I set up an online vetting on Zoom for both, Tony at 6:30 p.m. and Shannon at 7:00 p.m., and then I powered off my iPad.
Max glanced up and gave me a warm smile that had my resolve to do the right thing slipping.
“Thank you for doing this. I feel so much better.” He nodded at the computer he was working on.
“Did you check the other class?”
His face fell momentarily, but his smile bounced back. “Professor Biggs hasn’t gotten back to me yet, but I asked her if I could call and talk to her. I’ll tell her the same thing I told the other professor. Hopefully she’ll let me turn things in, too. I haven’t missed that final yet.”
“When is it?”
“In two days, but it’s online. I’ll just… you know. Look things up as I go if I need to.”
Sighing, I rested my chin on my fist. “All’s fair in love and degrees, I suppose. Have at it.”
He blossomed under my tacit approval of his academic fraud, and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to laugh or turn him over my knee.Definitely both.His smile did things to me, good things that were bad right now.
“You’ll work on the assignments you’re behind on and study until then.”
He gaped. “But—”
“I’m in charge of your workday and that’s important.”
He swiped a thumb under his left eye, and I pretended not to notice. “Thank you.”
Standing, I swept over to the fridge and pulled it open to stare inside. Nothing seemed appealing now that I was moving forward with finding Max a new Daddy.The faster, the better.When this whole mess was behind me, I could go back to getting satisfaction for my tendencies to take care of people by doing too many personal favors for Vane, and I could get my sadism kick from still torturing Maxwell in low-key ways and all would be as it was—with the exception of Max. He would be well-cared-for and safe.
That would have to be enough.
I took out a package of chicken from the fridge and tossed it in the sink. I’d never be able to eat, but I had to feed Max. “We’re doing dinner and then I’ve selected two men for you to speak with.”
“What?” Max sounded so over-the-top betrayed that I had to turn to look at him. He had his arms crossed over his slim chest, and I’d never seen someone look so bewildered.
“We discussed this. You need someone.”
“You decided I need someone,” he mumbled.
I glared, and he turned his gaze toward the floor. “This is what’s happening. You’re going to meet two men and then tell me what you think of them. I’ll be with you the entire time. You agree to nothing at this time, except to speak with them.”
He gave one curt jerk of his head, so I at least knew he understood me, even if he didn’t like the proposal.
While he continued with his schoolwork, I made a quick dinner we both picked at and ended up dumping in the garbage, then he went to shower. I changed into something I would typically wear to Triple X or elsewhere with the intentions of playing BDSM games, simply because I might be on camera and that was how these men knew me. I was still pissed at Vic—how dare he not even talk with Max?—and I swore my bad mood made it more difficult to wriggle into the tight-cut black leather pants that made my package look at least twice as big.
Not that I’d planned for Max to see this side of me, but it was good to have some confidence built into an outfit. I grabbed a tight white shirt to go with the pants because I preferred the contrast of colors. The material was thin enough that my belly button was a shadow. Then, I put the laptop in my modestly appointed playroom at the end of the hall and stood outside the bathroom to wait.
Max emerged like some ephemeral being on a wave of warm steam, delicious cologne, and shampoo scents. He’d dressed inside, and I chuckled at the suit he’d chosen to wear.
